


Muggle Technology

by hogwartsahoy



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Brothers, Figuring out phones, Gen, Muggle Technology, Muggles, Selfies, annoyed brothers, confused brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 17:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21676564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartsahoy/pseuds/hogwartsahoy
Summary: James Sirius drags Albus Severus into trying to figure out how to take a selfie on a Muggle phone.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	Muggle Technology

**Author's Note:**

> This is entirely inspired by Joey LaBrasca and Nick Podany's recent photo of the Potter Brothers over on twitter... enjoy. It got longer than I intended it to. But it was a whole lotta fun. Set on the morning of September 1st before Albus' seventh year.
> 
> Twitter: @hogwartsahoy

Albus was still tugging on his Slytherin jumper as he walked into the bathroom to try and attempt to brush his hair down a little – he’d inherited his fathers hair in that it never seemed to want to go anywhere but up. But his hair was forgotten as he pushed open the door and saw James, for some reason dressed in his own Gryffindor uniform, standing in front of the mirror with something in his hand.

“Why are you in the bathroom? And why are you in your uniform?” He wandered closer. “You _have _graduated, you know that, right? I’m going to Hogwarts to start my seventh year this morning, not you.”

James held up a hand. “Shhh. I’m trying to figure out Muggle technology. And I'm in my uniform because I want to confuse mum and dad... and I miss Hogwarts, okay. But never mind that."

He raised his eyebrows, suddenly intrigued. “What do you mean? I help Grandpa out with Muggle stuff all the time. Do you want my help?” He held out a hand, and James stepped back away from him.

“No, this isn’t like the stuff Grandpa does. This is different.” He held up the device. “_This _is what the Muggles call a phone. And I bought one yesterday and I’m trying to figure out how to use it. I believe you can take photos on it – not as cool as Wizard photos that move, but I want to figure it out anyway. But there are so many _buttons.”_

Albus snorted. “Why do you even want a phone?”

“_Because,_” James threw Albus a glare, “someone asked me for my number the other day, and I had no idea what they were talking about and had to tell them I ‘had no number’. And so now I have a phone and I can give them my number and we can… talk. I think. They’re not fond of owls. Most Muggles aren’t.”

Slowly, Albus nodded and then picked up his hairbrush. “Right… seems pointless, but okay.”

James elbowed him rather forcefully in the side.

The hairbrush clattered to the floor. “Merlin’s Beard, I hate you,” Albus grumbled.

And then James’ eyes lit up. “I did it! I opened the photo thing. The person at the shop said you can take really good self… things with the ‘front-facing camera’. Where is the camera? I can’t see it. All I can see is–“

“The bathroom bin. Because that’s where you’re pointing the camera at. Lovely photo, really,” Albus glanced over his shoulder. He’d picked the brush up and was back trying to tame his hair again. “Really captures who you are inside.”

James, not taking his eyes off of the phone, huffed. “I will hit you again, Albus Severus.”

“Oh, don’t let me tempt you.”

Finally, James moved the phone away from the bin and, instead, pointed it at the mirror. “Uh-huh! There we go. Hey, put your brush down. Let’s take a photo together. I don’t think this is what the guy at the shop meant because this doesn’t look like the ‘front-facing camera’ but… we’re in it. We’re on the screen so I guess that’s how you do it.” He reached out with one hand and grabbed Albus’ jumper, tugging him closer so that he was fully in frame.

Albus rolled his eyes. “Why are we taking a photo of ourself in a mirror? Why don’t we just _look _at ourselves in the mirror. That’s what they’re for, James. You know that, right?”

“You’re missing the point, little brother.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“_Albus, _look in the mirror and I’ll take a photo and… I don’t know what we’ll do with it but just let me take the photo, will you? And then you can go back to failing to brush your hair.”

“Fine.”

Reluctantly, Albus looked up at himself in the mirror – he _had_ failed to tame his hair, but there was no time to worry about that because James had pressed a button and there had been a weird sounding noise and then he was cheering. Apparently, it had worked.

“Where’s the photo, then?” Albus leant over and looked at the phone.

“I’m getting it up now, I think.” He pressed something on the screen, and then the photo appeared. He grinned as he looked at it. “Oh, look at that! We’re on the phone but we’re also in the mirror and– _why do you look so confused?”_

Albus met his eyes. “I look confused because I _am _confused, James.” He looked down at the photo again. “Why do _you _look like you’ve seen a ghost? I thought you’d be smiling.”

“Well… you’ve ruined the photo. We can’t do anything with it now.”

His eyebrows furrowed, Albus shook his head. “What would you even do with it anyway? There’s nobody you could send it to. Don’t you need other peoples phone numbers to send them things? That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.”

James fumbled, and then looked down at the photo again. “Can we take another one?”

Albus met his eyes. “Are you really– Okay, no, I’m going to Hogwarts. Bye, see you in four months for Christmas break. Love you sometimes!”

Before James could so much as say anything else, Albus had bolted out of the bathroom and disappeared. James’ smile turned into a frown as he halted in the doorway and looked around the landing.

And then Lily’s head poked out of her doorway. “What’s all that yelling about?”

His smile returned. “Hey Lils, mind coming here for a second?”


End file.
